Advice Given, Advice Taken

There was a single window in the room, that opened up to a solid brick wall, but that was okay. It was well-ventilated, at least. Light poured in through the gaps between the wooden slats of the ceiling, and cold air seeped in. The blankets on the bed, at least, were thick and warm. And it was my own private space. There was a single light bulb in the middle of the room that turned on with a pull chain.

Once I could see better, I sorted my things out; leaned my rifle against the foot of my bed, set the MREs and the two ammo bags on the desk, and put my clothes in the trunk; the one change of clothes, the one pair of socks and the two pairs of underwear. Why did they give this fold-up shovel? I set it down on the shelf, and fasten the knife and its sheathe to my belt.

Are you settled in?

The voice asked.

"I think so."

Good. You can start working on improving yourself so you don't die.

"I'm not going to die."

Where is this unfounded arrogance coming from? You were literally the weakest man recruited into this organization in its history, did you know that?

"That can't be true."

Pound for pound it is. I listened in on their thoughts you are pathetic. Pathetic. And because I, the epitome of Power, dwell within you, if you do not better yourself, you will die.

"Fine."

I sit down on the bed pull out my PID and open the stat page.

"What should I improve first?"

Focus on Endurance and Strength first.

I click on Endurance.

[TAKE 100,000 STEPS 1675/100,000

REWARD: 25%

TAKE 15 ATTACKS 1/15.

REWARD: 25%. ]

"I can do the steps passively..."

Now look at Strength.

I click the back button and then press Strength.

[DO 1000 PUSH UPS 0/1000

REWARD: 10%

DO 1000 SQUATS 0/1000

REWARD: 10%

BRING A TOTAL OF 32,000 POUNDS BACK TO NEW EDEN FROM THE SCRAPYARD 0/32000

REWARD 75% ]

"What is the scrapyard?"

You have a map. Use it.

I do just that. The map opens up and shows my location in the city. I use my fingers to scroll out to the wider world. The white-bordered land that the speaker had described encompassed about a 200-mile across piece of land that ended to the north after some woods, and terminated to the east at a mountain's gorge. To the west, there was a massive body of water where the borders ended.

I looked around the city, then, and about a mile out from the town was a large brown splotch of land labeled, 'the scrapyard.'

"Should I head over there then?" I ask the voice.

Not yet, do some push-ups first.

"How many should I do?"

Do 100 push-ups and 100 squats every day this week, then increase it to 200 next week.

"That's too much."

If you don't do it, I will use telekinesis and you will lose the last six months you have left. Do you want that instead?

Without another word, I removed the knife and pistol from my belt and began doing my push-ups for the day. I haven't done a push-up since I was in high school; nearly 5 years ago, so pushing out the first ten was difficult, and when the first set of ten was done, I collapsed onto the ground. While recovering my strength, and catching my breath I glanced at the trapping kit still sitting in the bag sat pressed against the wooden foot of my bed. At the top, barely visible from beneath the army green flap, was a piece of paper. I snatched it, and read it to kill the time.

"My name is Aurora, and I decided to help you. Why? Because we were in similar situations. I was noted as the weakest woman to ever enter the employ of the company and suffered a lot because of this. People are betting on how quickly you'll die, and it made me sick to the stomach. That's why I approached you that night in the lounge. We weren't allowed to help in any way, nor give any hints, but now that you're in New Eden when you're reading this, I'm in the clear."

Was this from that woman? Had to be. So Aurora was her name. I do ten more push-ups and pick up the letter again.

"Like you, I was homeless before this, and, probably like you, I was addicted to drugs. New Eden is a life-changing place, but to help you overcome the struggle I had to endure before I found my footing, I decided to help you along in some way with a few extra tips that they wouldn't have told you.

Getting skills is easy. Save your money for skills that you can't learn from a little bit of experimentation. Skip the fishing basics book, and buy the basic swordsmanship book for example. The only exception to this rule is the book, "Foraging in the Realms Beyond." Get that as soon as possible. It'll save you literal stomach aches and bouts of delirium out in the field."

Ten more.

"Don't actually get the basic swordsmanship book. That was a joke, but this is written in pen so I can't go back and erase it. Vertical Slash, Horizontal Slash, and Thrust. There, that's what you'll learn. I just saved you 30,000 dollars. Do those 1,000 times and you'll unlock the skill in your PID.

"Get as many skills as possible. This opens up more job opportunities and broadens your area of operation, and improving these skills will improve your stat block.

Passive skills > Active skills.

Magic is real here. If you see a magic book, and you can afford it. Pick it up. They are extremely rare. Basic magic skills take a C-rank intelligence to get through in a single day, however, so maybe look into raising that up. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't stockpile them, however. It will be helpful."

Ten more.

"Join any expedition that you can. They are very profitable.

Do as many jobs as you can. Not only will it help you earn more money, but some jobs reward items.

You can sell almost anything in New Eden. There is a constant shortage of goods. Butchers will buy bodies. Blacksmiths will buy scrap metal and certain monster and animal parts. Engineers will buy nuts and bolts, and whatever type of machinery you might come across. Most shops will buy weapons. Alchemist shops will buy herbs, etc. If you do sell, sell one type of item to a single shop. Build a rapport with the person you're selling with and they'll give you better deals.

On a related note: don't be an ass. You have a rather acrid personality. Don't bark at everyone you meet."

Ten more.

"Learn to butcher. You can get the skill by attempting to butcher 100 animals or monsters. This will save you thousands of dollars. The dismantling services scam newcomers all the time.

Buy a melee weapon. I know, I know, "but I have a gun." Bullets are 50 cents for a single bullet for your handgun and 75 cents for a single bullet for your rifle. You will save money in the long run with a melee weapon."

Ten more.

"If you get materials, you'll be able to craft weapons and gear with special properties; though that's more for you to find out.

Raise your stats. This is essential. Do everything you can to raise your stats.

Likewise, raise your skills. Like your stats, your skills will have, 'tasks,' associated with them. Trapping will be useful. Look into that. Raising certain skills will also proportionally increase associated stats. For example, raising, 'brawling,' by ten percent might increase, 'strength,' by five, and 'endurance,' by 2."

"There is a hidden task system. Once you do a certain thing, you will be rewarded with a skill, and a, 'passive.'. For example, if you do ten jobs in a single day, you will get a permanent passive skill that increases all job payments by 5% from there on. This isn't mentioned ANYWHERE on your PID. It's a little surprise you get for doing things well or doing things uniquely, or at certain milestones."

Ten more.

"You can, 'track,' quests so that the progress of your tasks and jobs will appear on the black screen. You can do this for up to 10 tasks/jobs so you don't have to constantly go back and forth on those screens. At the beginning of each day, take whatever job you want, and track it on your screen. Will make things easier.

Try to break even on expenses every day. The cheapest inn in town is 200 dollars a day. Add another 100 on top of that for food for 300 a day. Try to at least earn that, if not more."

Another ten.

"Buy a house. I know that sounds crazy expensive, and it is, but, again, you will save money in the long run. I have it on good authority that in three months, an expedition notice will go out to all White Company employees ranked E+ and higher to clear a small city about half the size of New Eden from goblins. Houses there will be sold at a discount to those who participated."

I do ten more. Owning a house would be nice, I suppose.

"Ownership of your house will continue for one year after you leave The Land Beyond. So when your term is up, come back.

You're not required to leave when your term is up, that's just when the ban on the portal room is lifted, and when they won't kill you for leaving. However, I DO recommend leaving, as you can get another contract for a larger lump sum on re-upping your contract. If you want, you can also recommend someone, if you know someone who is struggling in their everyday life. You'll get a bonus if they sign a contract."

I do my final ten push-ups.

"Pick up a hobby that is NOT related to drunkenness or debauchery. This is important as you really need to mitigate your stress levels, and a lot of people default to drinking and destroy themselves that way. I lost two months to a breakdown on my first deployment, don't let that happen to you. I picked up painting and sewing and it has been a blessing. You can find hobby stuff at nearly any general store.

Good luck, and survive. I have money riding on you making it through your six months. Once these six months are up, and you live actively as I suggest, no one back home will ever be able to look down on you again. Let that be your motivation, if nothing else.

One more hint: dedicate your first day to preparing. Don't be afraid to spend your contract money, if you do things right, you'll earn it back tenfold. On the back, I included a small shopping list for you to use.– Aurora."

SHOPPING LIST.

(THESE CAN ALL BE BOUGHT AT ANY GENERAL SUPPLY STORE IN TOWN:)

(- Socket Wrench Set

- Crowbar

-Hacksaw

-Pickax

[- Folding Saw

- Mallet

-Tent stakes

- Compass

- Rope [← For Jobs that will require you to camp]

- Tarp

- Paracord]

-Electric Stove

- Cooking Utensils

-Pot

-Pan

-Draw Pouch)

- Weapon of choice <– You can find one at any blacksmith or weapon stall. No matter what you choose, 1,000 of the two most basic actions will unlock Basic X skill.< p>

- Foraging in the Realms Beyond Book

Treat yourself to a nice meal afterward :) ."

I would recommend following what she's saying. Advice can be a powerful tool.

"Then I'll go do that right now."

AFTER your squats.

I clicked my tongue and got to it.